In a roll-fed printing apparatus and a method therefor, a controller receives a plurality of ripped images from a raster image processor in memory of the roll managing system irrespectively of the presence of the least one recording medium in the roll-fed printing apparatus. For each ripped image the roll managing system establishes an arbitrary position in the plane of the at least one recording medium at which arbitrary position the ripped image is intended to be printed. The controller creates subsequent image swathes for printing the ripped images according to the established arbitrary positions of the ripped images. While printing created subsequent image swathes, the roll managing system monitors a first actual status of printing of the created subsequent image swathes, a second actual status of a timing of the ripped images to be printed and a third actual status of the at least one receiving medium.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method for controlling a roll-fed printing apparatus for printing ripped images on at least one recording medium, the roll-fed printing apparatus comprising a print engine and a controller, the controller comprising a roll managing system for managing the printing of the ripped images on the at least one recording medium, the method comprising the steps of: a) the controller receiving a plurality of ripped images from a raster image processor into memory of the roll managing system irrespectively of the presence of the least one recording medium in the roll-fed printing apparatus, b) for each ripped image the roll managing system establishing an arbitrary position in the plane of the at least one recording medium at which arbitrary position the ripped image is intended to be printed; c) the controller creating subsequent image swathes for printing the ripped images according to the established arbitrary positions of the ripped images; d) the print engine subsequently printing the created subsequent image swathes; e) while printing the created subsequent image swathes, the roll managing system monitoring a first actual status of printing of the created subsequent image swathes, a second actual status of a timing of the ripped images to be printed and a third actual status of the at least one receiving medium; and f) the roll managing system displaying and keeping up-to-date a dynamic roll preview area representing the at least one recording medium, planned ripped images to be printed on the at least one recording medium, ripped images currently being printed on the at least one recording medium and image items representing the monitored first, second and third actual statuses.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the dynamic roll preview area is offered as a web user interface connected to the roll managing system via a network.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the roll managing system comprises an image list area, and step b) comprises the sub-steps of for a ripped image of the plurality of ripped images, representing the ripped image as a thumbnail image in the image list area, and receiving the ripped image from the image list area to positions on the dynamic roll preview area, which positions on the dynamic roll preview area correspond to the established arbitrary positions.
4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the method comprises the step of receiving a user action of dragging a ripped image of the plurality of ripped images from the image list area to the dynamic roll preview area.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method comprises the step of automatically determining the established arbitrary positions according to a digital image shelf mechanism residing in the controller of the roll-fed printing apparatus.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one recording medium comprises at least one roll.
7. A method for controlling a raster image processor, wherein the method comprises the steps of receiving images to be ripped for printing on a roll-fed printing apparatus, rasterizing the received images, receiving from the roll-fed printing apparatus a first actual status of printing of created subsequent image swathes, a second actual status of a timing of the ripped images to be printed and a third actual status of the at least one receiving medium loaded in the roll-fed printing apparatus, and keeping up-to-date a dynamic roll preview area to be displayed on a user interface connected to the raster image processor based on the first actual status, the second actual status and the third actual status.
8. A roll-fed printing apparatus for printing images on at least one recording medium, the roll-fed printing apparatus comprising a controller configured to send media properties of the at least one recording medium in the roll-fed printing apparatus to a raster image processor a print engine configured to deposit marking material in swathes on the at least one recording medium according to the schedule for printing of the images on the at least one recording medium, wherein the controller is configured to receive a plurality of ripped images from the raster image processor irrespectively of the presence of the least one recording medium in the roll-fed printing apparatus and to schedule printing of the plurality of ripped images on the at least one recording medium, and the controller comprises a roll managing system configured to establish for a ripped image of the plurality of ripped images at least one arbitrary position on the at least one recording medium, at which at least one arbitrary position the ripped image is intended to be printed, the controller is configured to create subsequent image swathes for printing the ripped images according to the established arbitrary positions of the ripped images, the print engine is configured to subsequently print the created subsequent image swathes, the roll managing system is configured to monitor a first actual status of printing of the created subsequent image swathes, a second actual status of a timing of the ripped images to be printed and a third actual status of the at least one receiving medium; and to display and keep up-to-date a dynamic roll preview area representing the at least one recording medium, the planned ripped images to be printed on the at least one recording medium, the ripped images currently being printed on the at least one recording medium and image items representing the monitored first, second and third actual statuses.
9. The roll-fed printing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to send at least one of the first actual status, the second actual status and the third actual status to the raster image processor and the raster image processor is connected to a user interface and is configured to display and keep up-to-date the dynamic roll preview area on the user interface.
10. A raster image processor for rasterizing images into ripped images, the raster image processor configured to receive from a roll-fed printing apparatus a width and media properties of a currently loaded recording medium and to send the ripped images to a roll-fed printing apparatus, wherein the raster image processor is configured to receive from the roll-fed printing apparatus a first actual status of printing of created subsequent image swathes by the roll-fed printing apparatus, a second actual status of a timing of the ripped images to be printed and a third actual status of at least one receiving medium present in the roll-fed printing apparatus, and the raster image processor is configured to keep up-to-date a dynamic roll preview area according to the received first, second and third actual statuses, and the raster image processor is connected to a user interface for displaying the dynamic roll preview area.
11. A non-transitory software medium comprising executable code configured to, when executed, perform the method according to claim 1 .
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December 18, 2019
December 29, 2020
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